My "Go Bag"

I rode out Tropical Storm Harvey in my home in the Green Trails neighborhood behind the Barker Reservoir.  The rain and flooding in the Houston area was beyond anything I could image.  The scenes I witnessed outside my own home and on TV looked more like special effects from a Hollywood movie than from something that was occurring naturally. 

I was very fortunate – water didn’t enter my home, I never lost power, I didn’t lose loved ones to the raging waters as so many others did.  In the end, I was merely inconvenienced.  But there were hours and even days of uncertainty; and hopefully some lessons learned that aren’t quickly forgotten. 

As the news reports started predicting that Harvey was going to stall out over Houston and drop unprecedented amounts of rain, I began making plans.  When I heard on Sunday that the Barker Reservoir that is behind my home would exceed its banks and our neighborhood would flood, I stayed up all night and went through the house deciding what was important to have with me when I drove out of Houston.  We were told that the flood waters would not recede quickly so I was packing items I might need for weeks or a month.  I assumed at the time, that I would be able to able to drive out of Houston so I was determined to fill the Edge to the brim.  During the night as I thought of other things I might need I packed yet another bag.  Of course I left the space where the cat carriers go.  My plans were to go to the Chateau, but I packed some other items in case I went to the Texas Hill Country to see my brother and sister-in-law.  So of course the tennis bag and clothes and swim suit were a part of my “go car”. 

On Monday it became apparent that while there was no water in our neighborhood, there wasn’t a way to exit Houston where I was assured there were not flooded streets.  Better to be home even if I am stuck there than to be one of those poor souls who are stranded on a flooded hi-way. 

Some of my neighbors and I had second cars so we staged them up the road in a grocery store parking lot where the chance of flooding was more remote.  The cars were high and dry.  We packed bags and made several trips walking out to put them in our cars.  Then we waited to see if the water would rise.

It did.  Water started to fill the street.  I keep watching the bayou behind the house as I assumed this would be where the water would come from.  I had a false sense of assurance as I didn’t understand how the reservoir worked.  While they were releasing water that goes toward town in the Buffalo Bayou to prevent the dam from breaking, the water was still coming over the spillway on the backside and moving through our streets and neighborhoods. 

So when the “go car” isn’t the option, I started to pare down what would go into a “go bag” for myself and the cats.  If you have ever traveled with me, you know I don’t travel light even if it is just a quick road trip.  I try to fulfill the Scout motto of “Be Prepared”.  While this is not an experience that I would have chosen, it was a good reminder to count my blessings and to focus on what is really important.  There are just so many “things” that I treated as though they were important that when it really came down to it, weren’t going to be that hard to leave behind.  I hope I don’t quickly forget this lesson…..and I kept praying the rain stopped and the waters receded. 

But the rain didn’t stop.  We kept developing new options and doing what we could to execute them.  My precious next door neighbors are campers and they were equipped with many more of the types of things that might be needed without power such as solar lanterns along with a generator that was elevated in the garage to keep our cell phones charged so we could stay connected in the event water entered our homes and we had to shut off the power.  They set up an evacuation space in the attic for the three of us humans along with my cats and their dog with mats, water, snacks, lanterns, etc.  We would only go there in the event there is a little water in our homes and we didn’t want us and our pets to be wet.  In the unlikely event there was feet of water, we would go on up to the roof.  A sign had been made and we had white fabric to wave at the helicopters to be rescued. 

As nightfall approached and the uncertainty remained, my neighbor Martha and I walked the two miles to retrieve our cars and move them as close as we could to our neighborhood.  There were about four feet of water in the street but we could walk out of my backyard onto the trail by the bayou as the water didn’t breach from the bayou that ran behind our homes.  Then we walked back to retrieve our precious cargo – my two cats and her dog.  The women folk and the critters evacuated to a friend’s home that was about a five minute drive but well outside of the flood waters.  The men folk, Martha’s husband and a neighbor across the street decided to stay and protect the property.  I pity any potential looter that tried to get into our homes - this is Texas and my neighbors are well armed. 

Thankfully the water did not rise overnight so Martha and I and all the pets returned home on Wednesday.  Over the next several days we waited and watched as the water slowly receded.  We know we are the fortunate ones – we were only inconvenienced.  We didn’t lose loved ones, we didn’t have water in our homes, we were only inconvenienced by living on an island that we couldn’t drive out of…but we could walk out the back way.  Blessed, grateful – that is us.

During those few days, we spent more time talking to and checking on our neighbors.  We worked to love our neighbors as ourselves….may that not change once life gets back to “normal”.  Have you reached out to your neighbors today?  If not, may I suggest that you don’t wait until your personal hurricane Harvey rolls in?   

Blessings,

Vicki

© Chateau Life Coach